


long time coming

by ronanlynchisneversleepingagain



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blow Jobs, M/M, Mentions of PTSD, Reunited and It Feels So Good, make the space gays into sports gays, mentions of Shiro's not-so-rosy past with the military and being a POW, mostly sappy fluff tbh?, rec league soccer, very sappy sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-08-02 07:51:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16301042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ronanlynchisneversleepingagain/pseuds/ronanlynchisneversleepingagain
Summary: Keith was having a mental break, he was sure of it. Or just a very vivid and highly specific hallucination. He could see where the Lions were practicing across the field and he was positive that his childhood neighbor Takashi Shirogane was playing soccer with his rec team. Except that wasn't possible because Shiro was long dead, killed on his last tour in Iraq. There had been nothing left of him to even bring home except his right arm.





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [annundriel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/annundriel/gifts).



> hello, yes, it is i, emerging from a long hiatus to bring you fic in a new fandom. i promised i would gift this fic to annundriel as a bribe to make her continue watch the show, so here we areeeee. i did not ask annundriel if this was the kind of fic she wanted, but you know what!!! this is the fic i was ready to post!!! 
> 
> this story has a planned 3, maaaybe 4 parts. and yes, i did make the space gays into sports gays. who do you think you're dealing with.

"I think it would be good for you to play with us again," Allura said, apropos of nothing one afternoon as she disembarked the Altea Tech plane that Keith piloted three times a week for her and the other board members of the small company. 

They were the last ones off the plane, Allura having lingered as Keith wrapped up his post-flight checks. The hangar was empty as they both stepped onto the ground. Keith was tired from a full day of flying, which he would use as an excuse later for not dodging the conversation more easily. He had played on Allura’s recreation league soccer team for almost a year before he’d taken a short-term position with Marmora Industries that had relocated him across the country. Now that he was back, Keith supposed it was only a matter of time before he would be re-recruited, but he resisted all the same. 

"I thought you said you'd gotten someone else," Keith grunted. He strode across the quiet hangar space and dropped off some of his things in the front office before swiftly locking it behind him and following Allura out of the hangar. "Some combat vet?"

"We did," she confirmed. "But that was your replacement. Now that Lotor's leaving us for another team, we're down a man again."

Keith hummed, but agreed to nothing. 

"We're practicing on Tuesdays, same place, same time as always," Allura said with a conjoling smile. Her eyes had that particular glint in them that said she already knew she would get what she wanted and was only asking as a courtesy. It used to drive Keith insane when he’d first met her, but now he just wearily accepted that she was probably right. "I know everyone else misses you. They were so excited when they heard you'd come back to town, you know?"

Keith felt a pang of guilt at that. He hadn't been much fun since coming back from his stint at Marmora, mostly locked up alone in his sublet apartment and ignoring texts from people who had heard he was back in town. It wasn't that he didn't want to see anyone, it was just…it had been  _ two years _ . How could they possibly want to see him?

"I'll think about it," Keith said finally, playing with the strap of his duffel bag. Allura smiled, clearly satisfied. "That's not a yes," he warned.

"That's okay," she said and it was obvious she was already pencilling him in on their roster.

"I'm serious," Keith said. "I haven't even played any soccer since I left. You won't even want me on the team once you see how rusty I am."

"We'll see," she said.

"Whatever," Keith grumbled and parted ways with her in the tiny parking lot with a small wave. Keith didn't wait to see her cheery wave back, although he knew she would do it anyways. It was just the type of person Allura was. 

When he got back to his apartment, he trudged up the worn staircase inside the old building to his door where he could already hear the soft snuffling and clicking of nails that meant the dog was waiting for him. 

He opened the door carefully, but the big dog was waiting patiently for him. It was only when Keith had relaxed enough to slip inside and close the door behind him that the dog launched himself at Keith, paws landing on Keith's shoulders and nearly knocking him over. 

"Jesus," Keith swore. "Give me a heart attack, why don't you?"

The dog licked him in response, leaving a slimy residue on his cheek that Keith wiped away reluctantly with his sleeve. He shrugged the dog off and wagged a finger at him.

"No jumping," Keith said. "We talked about that."

The dog barked joyfully, tail wagging furiously. 

"Hopeless," Keith muttered and headed into his tiny kitchen where he pulled out the half-empty bag of dog food from the pantry and tipped some into the dog's bowl. The dog immediately dove for the bowl, knocking kibble everywhere. Keith sighed and left him to it. 

His phone lit up with a notification before he could even sit down on the couch and he bit back a sigh when he read it.

 

> **- > ALLURA:** _Tuesday practice is 6pm at Covey Park, just in case you forgot! :)_

  
  


*~*~*

 

 

That first Tuesday came and went and Keith didn't go to soccer practice. He had dug out his old cleats the same night that Allura had asked - finding them deep in a box that had been in storage for two years, but still in good shape. When the time came to actually go to practice though, he sat on his couch instead, staring down the clock on his phone and willing himself to get up. Allura hadn't mentioned it beyond a single pout at him on Wednesday morning as he passed by her in the hangar. He felt a rush of relief at the non-confrontation, even though he knew all of his friends probably got tired of treating him with kid gloves like that.

He was all set to not go to practice the next Tuesday as well until a loud, insistent knocking on his door interrupted his fugue.  He would have ignored that too, but the dog was alarm barking so loud that it made his head pound. 

"If you don't open the door, I'm going to pick your lock," a familiar voice called out, muffled but still clear enough for Keith to understand and roll his eyes. "You know I can!"

Keith slumped a little further into the couch before huffing a frustrated sigh and swinging himself up. The dog nosed at the back of his legs, eagerly pushing him in the direction of the door and Keith shoved him gently away. He opened the door to a petite figure with golden hair shorn short swallowed up by a too-large green sweatshirt. Pidge. 

"Yes?" Keith asked dryly even though he knew exactly why Pidge had come. 

"I missed you, too, Keith," Pidge said, matching his dry tone. "It's been so long, it's great to see your smiling face."

Keith grunted, but allowed Pidge inside. The dog bounded forward enthusiastically to sniff at the new person and Pidge made a sort of delighted sound. 

"Don't think we're not going to talk about the fact that you have a dog now," Pidge said, pushing her glasses back up her nose and taking a not-subtle scan of his empty apartment. "But, right now, I'm already running late so grab your stuff and let's go."

"Who said I'm going anywhere?" 

Pidge crossed her arms and scowled at him.

"I'll make you a deal," Pidge said. "If you don't already have your gear bag packed and ready to go, you don't have to come to practice."

Keith scowled back at her for a long moment, before sighing and turning around with a huffed, "Fine."

He couldn't see her as he dug into his closet for his bag, but he knew she was preening. 

"What's your dog's name?"

"Doesn't have one," Keith answered, shouldering the bag. "Let's go."

Pidge squinted at him and then sighed. "You are so weird," she stated.

"Yeah, yeah," Keith said.

 

*~*~*

 

A knock on the passenger window of Pidge’s beater startled Keith so badly he jumped. He looked up to see Lance grinning at him. He opened the car door and slung his bag over his shoulder with a grunt.

"Keeeeeeith," Lance said, swallowing Keith into a hug despite Keith's best effort to duck out. "Allura said you were coming last week and you broke my heart by not showing. Now, here you are, like a bad penny after all."

"He was totally going to ditch again but Allura sent me to drag him out," Pidge informed Lance as she climbed out of the other side of the car.. Lance gave Keith an exaggerated hang-dog look and Keith rolled his eyes. 

"Hey Lance," Keith said. "Long time, no see."

"And that is all on you, buddy," Lance said. He threw an arm around Keith's shoulders, blocking any chance of escape by walking them in the direction of the practice that had started without them. "Don't act like you haven't been ignoring my texts since you came back. I would be more hurt, but I know for a fact you've been avoiding everyone else too. Well, except Allura, but that's not fair because she can corner you at the hangar, while the rest of us plebes have to hang out at the lab all day."

"I've been busy," Keith said, even though it was a bald-faced lie. He was on retainer with Altea Tech, but typically he only flew two or three times a week. He had plenty of time to himself when he wasn’t ferrying executives to and from different Altea Tech facilities up and down the coast. 

Lance wagged his finger at Keith.

"Busy doing what? Unpacking the four boxes you pushed into storage before you ditched us?"

"Maybe," Keith said cagily. Pretty much exactly actually.

"He got a dog," Pidge said unhelpfully. Keith shot her a glare and she grinned back at him. "He named it - get this - 'Dog'."

She crooked her fingers in sarcastic scare quotes and Keith rolled his eyes. 

"You can't name a dog  _ Dog _ ," Lance sputtered. 

Keith shrugged and refused to contribute further to the discussion. It took Lance and Pidge both a moment to realize Keith was no longer listening to them. Lance tousled Keith's hair roughly and Keith took it as an opportunity to shove him away. Lance laughed good-naturedly.

"Same old Keith, then," he said, as if it were some kind of sage insight.

"Yeah, yeah," Keith mumbled, but when Lance replied, he didn't catch what it was he said because they had gotten to the edge of the field where the Lions were practicing and Keith had caught sight of the others. Only…he thought he might be hallucinating when he saw one tall, broad figure who had his back to them. He tilted his head and blinked, waiting for the shoulders to be less familiar, because it was impossible that it was who his gut was telling him it was. Shiro was long dead, killed on his last tour in Iraq. There had been nothing left of him to even bring home except his right arm. 

Stubbornly, the stranger's back did not look any less familiar as Keith stared harder at him. He felt like someone had poured lead into his stomach when the man suddenly turned around. 

"Uh, helloooo, Earth to Keith," Lance said, waving a hand in front of Keith's face. Keith shoved him away again, this time with more force. He blinked furiously at the large, tall man with black hair and a grey streak running through it who had just laughed at something Hunk had said. It couldn't possibly — 

Keith was having a mental break, he was sure of it. Or just a very vivid and highly specific hallucination. He could see where the Lions were practicing across the field clearly and he was positive that his childhood neighbor Takashi Shirogane was playing soccer with his old rec team. Except that wasn't possible because Shiro was dead and had been dead for  _ years _ . He had died and Keith had gone to his funeral.

But then, not-Shiro stopped mid-drill because he had somehow heard Lance's shouting at Keith or maybe just felt the same world-altering shock that Keith was feeling just then and he froze. He gaped back at Keith and Keith felt a sudden, hot pang of anger at this stranger for looking so much like Shiro, but then not-Shiro spoke and Keith's anger twisted and writhed inside of him, trying to make sense of something that was so strange, because it was Shiro's voice, drenched in the same delirious confusion that he felt. 

"Keith?" Shiro asked. He had abandoned the soccer ball on the field and took a few stuttering steps towards Keith. 

Keith's mouth was so dry that he could do nothing but swallow air helplessly. His eyes drank in the sight of Shiro -  _ Shiro  _ \- in front of him, but his brain was still having trouble catching up. 

"You're dead," he said finally, his voice barely a whisper. He wouldn't have thought Shiro or any of the others could even hear him, but Shiro visibly flinched and someone, probably Lance, swore. "You died," Keith tried again, turning the words over, trying to make sense of the very alive man in front of him.

"I didn't," Shiro said softly. "I wasn't —"

He cut off and looked nervously towards the rest of the rec team, as if just remembering that they were all there. 

"I'm sorry," Shiro said to the rest of the team with a lot more composure than Keith could manage. And then, just to Keith, he said, "I have so much to tell you."

Shiro turned to the team, who were all watching the two of them with various levels of curiosity and Keith finally noticed Shiro's arm - a fancy, bright white prosthetic that ended just above the elbow. He caught his breath and rushed forward.

"What is this?" he demanded, his fingers wrapping around the hard plastic, unforgiving to his touch. Shiro flinched, barely noticeable and Keith's loosened his grip immediately before Shiro caught hold of him and held him still. 

" _ Keith! _ " Allura's voice sounded horrified in the background.

"Soooo, you two know each other, I take it?" Lance said, his head quickly darting from Keith to Shiro and back again. 

Keith stepped back and cleared his throat. He hoped his blush wasn't as bad as the burning in his cheeks suggested.

"We grew up together," Shiro said and he offered another smile to Keith. 

"Yeah, neighbors," Keith said. 

"I'll explain everything," Shiro said and Keith wasn't sure if it was directed at him or the rest of the team, but then Shiro stepped decidedly towards him and grasped Keith's shoulder firmly, before turning to the team and clearing his throat. "I think…I'm sorry, guys, I think Keith and I need to skip out on practice tonight. We'll have to catch you guys later."

"Wait, what?!" Lance asked.

"You can't just leave," Hunk also chimed in, joined by several of the other Lions. "I made empanadas for snacks, Keith!"

Keith looked to Shiro, uncertain, but Shiro's hand was heavy and certain on his shoulder. Shiro offered a tentative smile and Keith laughed, the sound broken and breathless. 

"Sorry, guys," Keith said, finally finding his voice. 

"You know, we haven't seen him in two years," Hunk moaned to Shiro. "And the empanadas! God, I just realized I am starving."

"Really? Just now," Pidge said and then poked Hunk in the side. "As much as it pains me to concede, I think we can handle another night or two without Keith. Besides, you're definitely coming to the game on Saturday, right, Keith?"

All eyes suddenly swiveled to Keith and he gulped.

"Uh, yeah," he said, even though he hadn't really decided yet. It seemed the decision was now out of his hands. "I'll be there."

"Good," Pidge said and Keith didn't miss the triumphant look she shared with Allura. He couldn't help but feel like he had walked into a trap somehow.

"Okay, so it's a deal," Shiro said. "We'll see you all for the game and celebratory drinks on Saturday."

Keith shrugged his agreement and the group seemed satisfied, or at least, weren't given any more room to negotiate because Shiro steered Keith away back to the far parking lot. 

They were quiet as they walked across the grass, crickets chirping around them as the sun set and air cooled. It felt surreal to look over and see Shiro at his side, so much older and bigger, but still very much the same. Shiro caught him looking and smiled.

"I know," he said. "It feels weird to me too."

"It's just…" Keith said. "Kind of amazing."

He blushed at his own word choice, but Shiro was nodding before he could get properly embarrassed about it. 

"How is it really you?" Keith asked quietly. They had put sufficient distance between them and the rest of team to prevent them from overhearing, but he still felt strangely like whispering. "Did you know?"

"No! I— I definitely didn't," Shiro said. "I mean, they had mentioned a Keith, but I never….God, in a million years.  _ Keith _ ."

Now Shiro was laughing and when Keith joined him, his voice wasn't strangled anymore. Shiro pulled him into a sudden, tight hug and Keith grabbed back. They swayed together in silence for a long moment before Shiro pulled back, but didn't let go of Keith.

"Are you hungry?" Shiro asked. 

Keith couldn't help the disbelieving laugh that bubbled out of him. 

"I could eat," he admitted.

"I know a place," Shiro said. "I can call something in and then, we can take it back to someplace private?"

It sounded like a question and Keith nodded eagerly. 

"Okay, yeah," he said. "I…uh, Pidge drove me here actually."

"Oh," Shiro said, looking around the parking lot for the first time and then shrugging a little. "Okay, that actually makes this simpler then. No following involved. C'mon."

Shiro took keys out of his pocket and the lights on a sleek black sports car flashed silently from a spot a few strides away. Keith couldn't help his whistle of appreciation as they approached. He ran an admiring hand along the powerful lines of the car and grinned at Shiro as they climbed in.

"Still a gear head, huh?" Shiro asked and smiled at him as if they were sharing a secret. 

"Definitely."

Shiro snapped his fingers and it sent a strange jolt through Keith. It was something he'd done as a teenager too, he'd picked it up from a TV show he was always watching with Adam.  _ Adam _ . Keith had forgotten about Shiro's longtime boyfriend until just that moment and the warm little flame in his chest guttered a little. He had no idea if they were still together or not. 

Before Keith could do something stupid like ask about it, Shiro was taking out his phone and Keith saw him opening up the maps app before humming in decision. 

"Want to make it curry?" Shiro said. His phone screen lit his face in a soft blue and Keith catalogued the light scar across his nose for the first time with a horrible drop in his stomach. "I know a good place for it."

"Annapoorna?" Keith asked, after a second's pause to recover himself. Annapoorna was a small hole-in-the-wall around the corner from the park. Keith used to grab take-out from there on his way home from practice all the time back before he'd left. Shiro grinned, as if they were sharing some great secret.

"You've been?" 

"Yeah," he said. "Hunk showed me."

"Ah," Shiro said. "So I'm not special after all."

Keith laughed.

"Nope," Keith confirmed. "Not at all."

"I'll call it in. What do you want? Still stuck on chicken korma or have you branched out since you were 15?" Shiro asked, pulling out his phone.

Keith looked at him in blank surprise.

"How do you remember that?" he asked. "How is there possibly room in your brain to remember what kind of Indian food I like after all these years?"

Shiro grinned and hit dial.

"Chicken korma it is," Shiro said and Keith heard the teasing lilt in his voice. He felt like he hadn't stopped smiling since Shiro had hugged him earlier. Shiro was off the phone in a matter of seconds and he threw his phone into an empty cup holder before grabbing the gear shaft. Keith watched with fascination as the metal and plastic fingers curled around the steering wheel and Shiro whipped them out of the parking lot. Shiro caught him looking and smiled softly. 

"Hey Keith," Shiro said softly as they sped down the quiet, residential streets surrounding the park. His face was soft and beautiful in the pink and orange light from the sunset outside and Keith's heart twisted in his chest at how  _ real _ Shiro was. "I'm so glad this is happening."

Keith's chest tightened. 

"Yeah," he said. "Same."

  
  


*~*~*

 

They ended up Keith's sublet apartment that was the bottom unit of older house that had seen better days. Shiro's shiny black car stuck out like a sore thumb next to Keith's battered bike, but Shiro grinned at it all the same. 

"Nice," he said as Keith handed him the bags of food so that he could fumble with his keys. "I should have known you'd still ride."

Keith shrugged, but warmed to the thought of Shiro remembering him so well all the same. 

"Had a car but ended up selling it when I moved away a couple years ago," he explained as he opened his front door to Shiro. He winced at the utilitarian space inside, devoid of life and knickknacks, but didn't have much time to think about it because the dog was bounding up to them and jumped cheerfully on Shiro, nearly knocking him over.

"Dog!" Keith cried and pulled him off. "Sorry, I should have warned you. He has no manners."

Shiro laughed. He put the food down on the kitchen bar that stuck out into the living space and then leaned down to fully embrace the dog and ruffle his ears. 

"What's his name?" Shiro asked.

Keith shrugged and began to unpack their dinner.

"Dunno," he said. "Ask him."

"Keith," Shiro said with a laugh. "Are you serious? How does he not have a name?"

Keith shrugged again. He set aside some spinach curry monstrosity that Shiro had ordered for himself before grabbing a bowl for himself and spooning out food from the ample other dishes they had. Shiro took his bowl from Keith without another word as he piled his own food up and followed Keith into the living room where they each took a different end of the single couch Keith had and ate in relative silence for several minutes. 

"Have you just not thought of a good name yet?" Shiro asked. 

Keith sighed dramatically.

"Maybe if you named him, he'd start learning a few manners," Shiro said slyly as he slid a small piece of naan to the dog who almost took half of Shiro's prosthetic hand with it in his eagerness. 

Keith snorted. 

"Fat chance of that," he said. 

"Where did you get him? I thought you hadn't been back that long?" 

Keith shrugged again and then put his empty bowl on the end table, swatting away the dog's curious nose from it. 

"Found him when I was on assignment with Marmora," Keith said finally. "Flew him home when I couldn't find anyone dumb enough to take him off my hands."

As if offended, the dog snuffled and lay his long snout on the cushion between Keith and Shiro. Shiro set aside his bowl and took up scratching the dog's ears instead. 

"So, you flew him halfway across the world but you can't be bothered with naming him?"

Shiro's voice was gentle and teasing, but Keith could hear a real current of something else under it. He pursed his lips and looked away from them. Shiro took the hint.

"So." Shiro cleared his throat. "Marmora?"

"Yeah," Keith said with a jerky shrug. 

"What was that like?" Shiro pressed. "Must've been quite the culture shock. I've heard they run things pretty militaristically. Not like Altea Industries, right?"

Keith looked at him in surprise. Shiro smiled a bit.

"The team talked about you a lot. Worried about you over there."

Keith hesitated for a moment, chewing over what he wanted to say.

"It was hard in the beginning," he said. "I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to handle all the bullshit authority structures, but I don't know - I did what I had to, I guess. I think it was good for me, in the end. I learned a lot."

"That's great, Keith,"  Shiro said and he sounded genuine. "I'm proud of you for adjusting to it."

"I'm not just a kid anymore, Shiro," Keith said quietly. There was a strange tension between them that Keith hated. He shifted on the couch and the moment dissipated. 

"I know," Shiro said, gesturing to Keith's body as if it were self-evident. "I'm not exactly who I was back then either."

Keith looked up. The words surprised him. Shiro's expression was tight, as if frozen in a flinch for a second too long. 

"Tell me what happened," Keith said finally.

Shiro exhaled and leaned back in his chair. He looked down at his prosthetic, as if it held some some of answer for him. Keith wondered how long it had even been since he'd had it. It seemed like such a natural extension of Shiro that it couldn't have been all that new. It was a tangible reminder between them of how much had happened since they'd last seen each other. 

"I wasn't even flying," Shiro said. He sounded pained in a way that twisted Keith's guts and made him lean forward. "It happened right at the beginning of my second tour. Roadside bomb. Never even saw it coming."

"Yeah," Keith breathed, running a hand down his face. “That’s where they thought you…”

_ Died _ hung between them for a long moment. Shiro nodded and licked his lips.

“That’s where most of this happened,” Shiro waved at his arm and some visible scarring. “I was taken prisoner by a local cell and kept getting moved and shuffled around. I think they didn’t quite know what to do with me. I don’t know why they didn’t just leave me for dead.”

“Shiro,” Keith said quietly, dumbstruck. He wanted to reach out to Shiro, but kept his hands firmly clenched in his lap. 

“It was over a year before anyone caught wind that I was alive,” Shiro said. “And another few months before they were able to extract me. It was all kept very quiet. Not even my parents knew. They were only told I was coming home two days before I boarded the plane.”

“Jesus,” Keith swore vehemently. He replayed those awful years after Shiro died and wondered how long after it was that he had left that Shiro had been found. Had the military known he was alive before Keith had left? Had it all been after? He didn’t want to know. 

"After I was discharged…I just couldn't face going back to Arizona," Shiro continued. "So I arranged to live with my grandparents for a few years in Tokyo. They were so happy and it was nice…to be with people who hadn't known me all that well before. My parents came for a while too, right after, but I think...I think it was a lot for them.."

Shiro let that settle between them before continuing.

"I actually only came back Stateside last year," he said. "Got a job as security advisor to an engineering firm downtown through a military buddy. Actually, haha…Holt is the one who got me hooked up with the soccer team too."

"Oh yeah?" Keith asked, breaking his silence in a fit of curiosity.

"Pidge is his kid sister," Shiro explained with a wink. "Don't tell her I called her that."

Keith smirked, but then his expression dropped back to a frown.

"Your military buddy is Matt Holt?" he asked. 

"Yeah."

Keith whistled lowly.

"Small world," he said. 

"Yeah."

"I didn't know her before I joined the team," Keith said. "Allura recruited me from work. I think she kind of recruited all of us, to be honest."

"Yeah, I got that impression," Shiro said. 

"We've been in each other's circles this whole time and didn't even know it," Keith said, musing more to himself than anything. 

Shiro grimaced. 

"I'm sorry we lost contact all those years ago," he said.

"Yeah," Keith agreed. "It was just as much my fault as yours. Things were…bad at the home those last few years. I actually left before finishing high school, I don't know if you knew that."

"No," Shiro said. "I didn't. By the time I came home for good, you were gone and no one could tell me much."

Keith nodded. 

"I didn't want anyone to know where I was headed. I was scared they'd drag me back. And after you died, I didn’t....I didn’t know what I was hanging around for, I guess," Keith said. He couldn't bring himself to look at Shiro's when he said it, looking at his hands clenched on the table instead.

Shiro was silent, his breaths steady and calming from across the table.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there."

Keith's eyes shot up.

"What? No, that's not what I was saying."

"I know. That doesn't make it not true."

Keith swallowed the sour taste of bile in his throat and Shiro's mouth tugged into a half-hearted smile. 

"I'm proud of you, Keith," Shiro said. 

"For what?"

Shiro smiled sincerely this time. 

"You did it, Keith. You got out and you've got a good job flying, your own place, and from what I've seen, friends who love you and missed you a lot when you were gone."

Keith huffed. 

"You make it sound better than it really is."

"Do I?" Shiro asked. 

The question was gentle, but pointed. It hit its mark easily. 

Shiro pushed back from the table and stood up. 

"Okay, enough talk for tonight," he said authoritatively. "You got any videogames around here or is your gaming stash as empty as the rest of this place?”   
  
  
  


*~*~*

 

Shiro fit back into Keith's life like a missing puzzle piece that he hadn't even known was gone until he found it again. They fell into an easy rhythm, always grabbing dinner alone together after practice on Tuesdays, but joining the team for post-game drinks win or lose on Sundays. 

Sometimes Keith would look over to see Shiro by his side and feel electric all over again because  _ Shiro was alive _ . Sometimes he even caught Shiro looking back with the same half-dazed expression, as if he couldn't believe the luck that had reunited them after all this time. 

Playing with Shiro was exhilarating. Shiro used to let Keith join matches with him and his older friends when they were kids living just down the road from each other and Keith had learned most of the fundamentals from Shiro himself. Keith had always played well with the others on the Lions, but Shiro was different - always anticipating Keith's next move before Keith had even decided on it himself and being right where he needed him for a pass. They led the Lions to three wins in a row and were flying high in the league's ranks halfway through the summer season. 

It looked like they were going to break their streak with a tie as their game wound down that week with only two minutes left on the clock, but Keith managed a stealthy turnover and broke away from the pack to score on the other team's exhausted goalie who just couldn't reach across the net in time to palm the ball. Keith wheeled around in triumph and Shiro crashed into him a moment later with a whoop and a crushing hug. 

"Nice going, Keith," Shiro said quietly, a private congratulations meant just for him. Keith hugged him back for a second before shaking loose and slowly walking back towards center field. 

"You taught me that one, old man," Keith teased over his shoulder. It was true enough. They used to spend hours playing keepaway, just the two of them. Shiro laughed and it was the happiest Keith had seen him since they'd been re-united. 

"In that case, I think the student has officially become the master." 

Keith flushed at the praise, but ducked his head and jogged the rest of the way back to his starting position as the referee grabbed the ball from the opposing goalie to reset. The last minute and change of the game was a blur and when the clock ran out, the Lions on field all thumped Keith on the back on their way back to the bench where the rest of the team cheered and insisted on high fives. 

"God, we might actually make the playoffs this year," Lance said as they packed up their gear after that fourth win.

"Lance, bud, I think we're already locked in for them," Shiro said. Allura nodded enthusiastically.

"We are!" she confirmed. "Today sealed the deal, actually. We needed to win and the Blades had to lose their match-up earlier this morning."

"All thanks to Keith's game winner," Shiro said. He threw a broad hand on Keith's shoulder and squeezed. Keith shoved him playfully, but flushed at the only half-sarcastic applause from the rest of the Lions. 

"Awesome," Keith said. He shared a glance with Shiro, who winked back at him, obviously in a great mood. 

They drifted out to the parking lot together and discussed where they were going for their customary post-game meal. Everyone was buzzing with adrenaline and Keith let the conversation wash over him, smiling a bit to himself as he looked at his friends,  _ his team _ , around him. It was good to be back. Hunk finally put his foot down on going to Moxie's, since he insisted they had the best tacos in the neighborhood. 

"What's that look for?" Shiro asked as Keith unloaded his gear bag into Shiro's trunk. They had started carpooling to the games without ever really discussing it much. 

"Nothing," Keith said, ducking away for a second. When they'd climbed into the car and the engine had quietly purred to life, Keith finally said, "It's just really good to have friends around again."

"You always had them," Shiro said quietly. "But, yeah, I know what you mean."

Keith smiled softly and Shiro returned it in kind. 


	2. Part Two

It's Hunk's girlfriend Shay's birthday and Keith was pretty sure everyone he knew except a few people from work are all squeezed into Hunk, Lance and Pidge's shared house, a ramshackle white house on the edge of the University district in town that had probably once been a nice enough house but had seen too much spilled beer and drunken shenanigans to be anything but run-down now. They had cleared out the garage for two beer pong tables and the lawn had chairs scattered in no discernible pattern. It was loud and cheerful and Keith kind of hated it, but also knew that if he didn't stay for at least an hour, he would never hear the end of it. 

Keith found Shiro in the kitchen where Shiro was manning a keg, passing out cups to anyone who passed by. Keith watched him for a moment before Shiro noticed him and admired the broad sweep of Shiro's shoulders and the tight sleeves of the t-shirt he was wearing that did more than hint at the muscle tone underneath. Keith shook his head right as Shiro turned his head and smiled at him, a lopsided grin that told Keith that Shiro had likely already imbibed several cups of his own. 

"Keith," Shiro said, pressing a cup into his hand. "They were taking bets on whether or not you'd come, but I knew you would."

Keith punched him playfully and smiled. 

"I texted you an hour ago that I would be here," Keith said. 

Shiro looked around and winked at Keith. 

"Don't tell them that," Shiro whispered loudly. "They think you don't know how to text. Plus, I put $10 down that you would."

Keith folded his arms across his chest. 

"So, are you stuck here or what?" Keith asked, gesturing to the keg hose still in Shiro's hand. Shiro looked down at it as though he had forgotten it was there and then dropped it.

"Oh, no," he said. "Not really. I just…needed something to do."

Keith was determined not to smile at that and hid it in a small cough instead. Shiro didn't seem to notice, his eyes busy scanning the party around them.

"Want to go outside?" Shiro asked before Keith could suggest anything. "It's quieter out there. Not as many people."

Keith nodded, recognizing the out when he heard it.

"Sorry to drag you away," Keith said as they found some lawn chairs and dragged them closer together on the perimeter of the party crowd. 

"Don't be," Shiro said. 

They sat quietly together, drinking their beer and watching as people floated in and out of the yard. 

"I'm not much for crowds anymore," Shiro said and then after a small pause. "Maybe I never really was at all."

"Really?" Keith asked, surprised. "You always seemed like you were happy being right in the middle of everything."

Shiro sighed and swirled the remaining liquid in his cup with a flick of his wrist.

"It's hard to remember sometimes," Shiro said. "How I felt before. I don't know if that really makes sense, but I just…I don't think I ever actually liked crowds even if I was good at them. Now I don't think I'm even that good anymore."

"You are," Keith said confidently. 

Shiro smiled and tipped his cup towards Keith in acknowledgement before draining it and crumpling it in his hand. 

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Shiro said. "You were always good at that."

"What?"

"Believing in me, I guess. Even when we were kids and all I could ever think about was flying."

Keith stared back at him, at a momentary loss for words.

"I just knew you could do it," Keith said after he'd recovered. 

"Yeah," Shiro said. His eyes glinted in the twinkling lights of the porch and his face was thrown into a sharp relief that made his cheekbones look even more defined than usual. "It was just nice. Knowing you always had my back, even if no one else did. I missed it."

Before Keith could respond, Lance crashed over to them, yelling about beer pong and Shiro agreed to be Lance's next partner with a shrug and apologetic sideways smile to Keith. Keith would have been happy just to continue sitting in the far corner of the yard even without Shiro, but Lance dragged him up and into the garage as well. As they waited for the current game to wrap up, Keith leaned a little closer to Shiro as the crowd pressed in around them. 

"How did you get conned into joining up with these losers again?" Keith asked, purposely pitching his voice loud enough for several members of their soccer team to hear him clearly. Lance squawked indignantly, but Shiro just laughed and rubbed the back of his head. His expression had turned bashful for some reason.

"Uh," Shiro said. "It's kind of a long story."

"My brother got tired of hearing about how much he sucked at soccer because he's a loser, so he got us Shiro," Pidge interrupted whatever Shiro had been about to explain and the conversation swung away. “After Lotor betrayed us, we thought we’d have to bring Matt back on, but then you finally came back, Keith. Thank God.”

"Lotor," Hunk said with an unusual amount of spite. Keith looked at him in surprise and Hunk threw an arm around Keith's shoulders. "You weren't here for it, so you won't understand, but he betrayed us, Keith."

"Right before the playoffs and everything," Lance said. "He just pulled the rug right out from under us and went to go play with the Galra, like it was no big deal that he just left us short-handed — No offense, Shiro — and then we were completely fucked for the playoffs. Matt can't even run a mile without crying and he was our sub, Keith."

Shiro laughed again and Keith seemed to be the only one that noticed the subtle flex of Shiro's prosthetic hand. Keith ducked out from under Hunk's arm and leaned against the wall again. 

"Right, so Lotor's a traitor," Keith said dryly. "Got it."

Keith shot a glance over to Allura, who had been suspiciously quiet and she gave him a loaded look back. The last Keith had heard before he left had been that Allura and Lotor were mutually interested in each other romantically, but judging by her sour look and silence, that was definitely no longer true. Keith didn't bring it up, since the others either weren't inclined to either or didn't know. 

The conversation moved on from there to the Lions' current hopes for winning their first match-up in the playoffs (still a longshot at best, in Keith's opinion, but he didn't say so). Lance and Shiro faced off against Pidge and Allura, who thoroughly stomped the men despite Lance's best efforts to distract the women while they were taking shots. Hunk dragged Keith to the table next, but Pidge and Allura dispatched them even more quickly than they had Lance and Shiro. Keith took their loss as an opportunity to disappear back into the crowd, leaning against a wall and watching as the party continued around him. 

At some point later in the night, Shiro slid in next to him on the wall and handed him a fresh beer. Keith took it from him without comment and took a big gulp.

"The truth is," Shiro said, quiet and earnest and only loud enough for Keith. "My therapist thought I wasn't adjusting that well to civilian life and encouraged me to join a support group. That's where I met Matt and everything happened pretty quickly after that."

Keith exhaled slowly and took a measured sip of his beer. Before he spoke, he made sure the others weren't paying attention, but they were all crowded around the beer pong tables or just engrossed in other conversations. No one was even looking their way. 

"What does that mean exactly?" Keith asked. "Not adjusting to civilian life?"

Shiro sighed quietly and shook his head. Keith didn't miss the way his flesh and blood hand clasped at the hard plastic of his prosthetic even though it seemed like an unconscious movement to Shiro. 

"In a lot of ways, I didn't really start living my life again until I came back to the States," Shiro said. "When I was in Japan with my family…I was going to physical therapy and going through the motions of recovery, but I didn't really…I mean, I wasn't…adjusting to what life meant for me after losing so much."

Keith was silent for a long moment while he absorbed all of that and then, smaller than before, said, "And now?"

Shiro shrugged one shoulder.

"I'd like to think I'm doing better." 

They were quiet after that, watching as the party slowly wound down around them, the crowd thinning enough that Keith thought that it was probably safe to finally leave himself. Shiro followed him out into the warm summer air and they walked down the street together until Keith pulled himself to a stop next to his bike. 

"Hey Shiro," Keith said, as he pulled his helmet out and put it on. "I think you're gonna be just fine. I believe in you."

Shiro looked back to Keith and tilted his head then a slow smile bloomed across his face. It made Keith's stomach twist with how genuine and sweet it was. 

"Thanks, Keith," Shiro said, his voice quiet and low. "That means a lot."

 

+++++++++++++++++

  
  


"Whatever happened to Adam?" Keith finally asked one night. He didn't know why he said it when he did, but one night as he and Shiro lingered in the park after practice and the others had all long since gone home, it just slipped out.

Shiro started next to him and frowned. 

"We broke up before my second tour," he said matter-of-factly. "I thought you knew."

"No," Keith said. 

"Mmm," Shiro confirmed. "He didn't want me to take another assignment."

Shiro flexed his prosthetic hand and drew Keith's gaze to it.

"Maybe he was onto something," Shiro said quietly and if Keith didn't know him so well, he wouldn't have heard the soft trace of bitterness buried in the words. Keith reached over and slung his arm around Shiro's broad shoulder, pulling him into an awkward side hug.

"He wasn't," Keith said fiercely. "You were doing something you loved. There was no way to know what would happen."

"It was always a possibility," Shiro said.

"Shiro," Keith said. "Flying that fighter jet was your dream. You were going to keep going back. I can't imagine a reality where you wouldn't."

Shiro sighed and flexed his hand again but didn't argue with Keith. Keith tipped his head onto Shiro's shoulder and Shiro let his fall to cradle Keith's. They sat like that for a while on the damp grass, sweaty and tired from practice and looking up at the stars. They were especially bright that night and maybe looking back later, Keith might be able to blame them. He had spent a lot of time looking up at the stars and thinking of Shiro, after all. 

"I was so in love with you when we were kids," Keith said into the silence between them. 

"What?" Shiro asked, shifting slightly beside Keith, but when Keith made to sit up and move away, Shiro's hand came up to pull Keith's head back down to his shoulder, holding him there for a moment longer.  "You were?"

Keith exhaled and rolled his shoulders, relaxing into Shiro's side for the moment. 

"Yeah," he said. 

"I didn't know that. You should have told me."

Keith smiled ruefully. 

"So you could let me down easy?" Keith said. His voice was a little sharper than he meant it and although he couldn't see Shiro's face, he could imagine the slumping frown there. 

"No, I just —" Shiro said and then stopped himself. "I'm sorry if I ever made it harder on you."

Keith snorted and couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him. He sat up this time, knocking Shiro's hand gently away as he did. 

"What?" Shiro asked, stricken.

"I can't believe you're apologizing to me for my crush, Shiro," Keith laughed even harder. "I think that might be a new level of Shiro-ness."

It was dark, but when Keith slid a glance over to Shiro, he was sure that Shiro was blushing. He elbowed Shiro lightly before swinging himself up and offering the other man a hand to pull him up.

"Anyways, it was a long time ago now," Keith said. "It's not important anymore."

Shiro was quiet, but accepted the help to stand up, brushing the grass off his pants. 

"I was thinking," Keith said as they stood in the empty field together, neither seeming ready to leave just yet. "I know the rest of the team wanted to go to the big 4 th of July picnic at the river, but I think I might take the long weekend and take a ride out to the desert for old times’ sake. You want to come?"

Shiro exhaled just loud enough for Keith to here and it was strangely settling to Keith.

"Sure you're up for the company?" 

"Wouldn't have asked if I wasn't."

Shiro reached out and grabbed his shoulder again, squeezing it gently. 

"Thanks, Keith, that sounds perfect."

 

+++++++++++++++++

  
  
  


Keith told Pidge he was going out of town for the weekend so she could drop in on the dog and somehow it snowballed from there with most of the Lions inviting themselves along the second they heard 'camping' and 'weekend'. Keith tried not to be too openly frustrated about their insertion into his plans for a quiet weekend with Shiro, but he wasn't sure how successful he was. Shiro had just shrugged good-naturedly when Pidge announced to him that Lance, Hunk, Allura and her were all coming as well and aside from a mild "Oh? Did Keith invite you?" hadn't made a fuss.

"At least this way, we can just put the tent and food in Lance's car instead of the trailer for your bike," Shiro said with a teasing smile as they loaded up Lance's car. Keith didn't say anything in response and Shiro elbowed him until Keith shoved him back. "Hey," Shiro said, suddenly more serious. "This okay with you?"

Keith grunted and then shrugged.

"It's fine."

Shiro gave him a considering look, but seemed satisfied enough with what he saw. It was fine, Keith thought grudgingly as they went back into the house where the rest of the group was still scrambling to pack. It just wasn't exactly what Keith had had in mind, is all. He realized that he needed to make more of an effort with his friends beyond just Shiro too, though, even if it took more out of him to be around them for long periods of time. 

"Sure you still want to ride with me?" Keith asked Shiro. "There's room for you in the car."

"Hey, c'mon," Shiro said. "That was the part I was most looking forward to. I haven't been on a bike in a long time. Besides, don't make me sit in a car with Lance for three hours."

"Isn't that my line?" Keith joked.

"Also," Shiro said. "If I ride in the car, that means we can't take the dog."

Keith sighed, aggrieved. Pidge had insisted that the dog come camping in the desert with them even if it meant shoving his huge, excited bulk into a car with the rest of the group and Keith and Shiro took Keith's bike. Shiro laughed, clearly not buying that Keith was actually annoyed about the dog coming on the trip. 

It was another hour before the group was ready to hit the road and long past when Keith had originally planned on starting the trip so they could beat the midday sun. For the weekend, he'd brought out his bigger bike which would comfortably sit him and Shiro behind him. He'd offered to ride his smaller, faster bike so Shiro could take the steadier big motorcycle, but Shiro had opted instead to be a passenger for the weekend. It was a long ride out to the campsite Keith had found for them, but he'd wanted to get out of the reach of the city and the inevitable noise of fireworks and parties the weekend would bring. He figured some stiffness from the ride would be worth it. 

Shiro was a perfect passenger, throwing his weight against turns before Keith could even ask and the trip was dusty, hot perfection even if the endpoint wasn't exactly what Keith had planned for them. The rest of the group pulled ahead easily and already had most of the campsite set up by the time Keith coaxed his bike onto the back trail that led down to the site. Shiro and Keith had stopped midway through the drive to stretch and rest while the others drove ahead, which had given Hunk plenty of time to start on dinner over a camp stove and for Pidge and Lance to squabble over the right way to erect the tents. Allura was sitting on a fallen trunk to read a book and throw annoyed glances at Pidge and Lance's arguing as Keith and Shiro walked up. 

"Well, you two certainly look the worse for wear," Allura said, taking in their dust-covered clothes with a surprised eyebrow raise.

Keith grinned at her and shook some of the dust from his jacket onto her lap, making her squeak in indignation before hopping away. 

"I hope you brought a change of clothes," Allura said as she carefully brushed her leggings clean of the dirt. Keith watched her in amusement. He spent a good amount of time with Allura through work and was surprised she'd even considered coming camping with them, since she wasn't really one to get dirty often. 

"No, I'm just going to marinate it all weekend," Keith said, sitting down next to her with and kicking up an intentional cloud of dust. Shiro laughed, but then threw Keith's bag at him from where it had been unloaded from the car. Keith rolled his eyes, but went to the tent to change out of his grubby road clothes anyways. After he'd pulled on a fresh shirt at least, he ducked out of the tent and walked around its perimeter to adjust the poles from where Lance and Pidge had failed to line them up perfectly. By the time he was done, Hunk was hollering at the group that the chili he'd brought was ready to go. 

Keith could admit that Hunk's cooking all weekend was a definite perk of the group coming along on this trip. He'd been planning hot dogs and beans for the most part. Hunk's chili was gourmet in comparison.

Dusk was long and slow as the sun sank behind the low mountains and sparse trees that surrounded them. The loud hum of insects was comforting to Keith, reminding him of home and late nights in the warm Arizona summers that had been spent learning how to ride motorcycles and racing. He wanted to say so to Shiro, but didn't want to say it in front of the others because he knew he would get teased for it. Instead, he just quietly sipped his beer and let his friends' animated conversation flow over him. The dog came over, tail wagging, to curl up at Keith's feet and Keith ran a hand through his fur absentmindedly. 

Keith went to sleep before the others, but left the dog out with the group because Hunk and Lance insisted that they 'called' him for the night and Keith didn't like sleeping with the dog when it was so hot anyways. Hunk and Lance could sleep with the dog’s 60 pounds of fur and body heat if they wanted to. 

Keith unrolled his sleeping bag and Shiro's next to his before he slid into his own. There wasn't much room in the small tent, so between Shiro and Keith, there probably wouldn't have been room for the dog even if Keith had wanted him in his own tent.

Keith was mostly asleep when Shiro quietly entered the tent and zipped the door closed behind him. He blinked his eyes open and watched as Shiro stripped off his shirt and pants efficiently before sliding into his sleeping bag. It didn't occur to Keith to be embarrassed for watching until Shiro caught him, turning towards Keith as he got situated in his bag. 

"Hey, " Shiro whispered. "Sorry if I woke you."

"Didn't," Keith murmured and shoved his face into his pillow to hide his blush at Shiro's complete obliviousness. 

"Okay," Shiro said. Then a moment later, "Hey Keith?"

"Mmm," Keith said, turning back to Shiro who was looking back at him from his own pillow. 

"Thanks for this," Shiro said. 

Keith smiled and then forced himself to roll away. 

"Course," he said. "G'night."

"Good night."

 

+++++++++++++++++

 

Keith woke up early to the gentle sound of nature stirring around them. Shiro had shifted at sometime in the night and nestled close to Keith, his face only inches from where Keith slowly blinked his eyes open. Keith took the quiet moment to trace the unfamiliar scar across Shiro's face with his eyes. The skin was thick and strangely translucent, cutting an ugly stripe across his broad cheeks and nose. It did nothing to diminish how beautiful Shiro was. 

Keith was still making a quiet study of Shiro's face when Shiro stirred, blinking sleepily at Keith, but not moving away. They were quiet for several moments until Shiro exhaled softly and rolled onto his back.

"I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and this is all going to be some weird dream," Shiro said.

"Which part?" Keith asked. His heart was twisting strangely in his chest. Shiro rolled his head to the side to look back at Keith. 

"All of it," Shiro admitted. "My arm, getting discharged, California."

Keith sucked in a breath and averted his eyes. 

"You," Shiro added softly, once Keith was no longer watching him. "Probably most of all you."

"Shiro," Keith breathed. 

He licked his lips, unable to think anything that would come close to being the right thing to say. Shiro did nothing to dissipate the moment and they breathed together in the quiet, small pocket of morning they had to themselves in the tent. 

"Let's go for a hike before the others wake up," Shiro said. It wasn't a question, but it didn't need to be. 

Keith didn't make any sign he agreed except shimmying out of his sleeping bag and pulling on a fresh set of clothes. Shiro did the same and they left the tent in silence. Keith could hear Hunk's snoring from across the campsite, but other than that, the other two tents were peaceful and the others probably wouldn't be up for another hour or two at best. It was still early - the sky was still a sleepy pink that washed out the scrubby plants and trees that had provided limited shelter in the night. 

Keith briefly considered getting the dog out of Hunk and Lance's tent, but decided against it since it ran the risk of waking the guys too and he wanted as much of this morning alone with Shiro as possible. Shiro didn't say he felt the same, but also made no move to wake the others and led the way towards the trailhead with careful steps. 

They didn't talk for most of the ascent up the mountain except for the occasional warning or grunt of effort. When they finally reached the top-most outlook post, Shiro sat down on the flat rock with a grateful sigh. Keith chose a spot nearby and fell backwards. It was still early, but the sun had started its ascent into the sky while they were hiking up the mountain and the air was already heating up. The rock was still cool, not yet warmed by the sun and it felt nice against Keith's back.

"I never thought about what I'd do after," Shiro said after an indeterminate amount of time. Keith had closed his eyes at some point and kept them closed, but hummed to let Shiro know he was listening. "I think that's why this all feels so wrong."

"Makes sense," Keith said, barely above a whisper. 

"I didn't really have a back-up plan," Shiro continued. "It seems stupid in retrospect."

"Lots of people don't even have a Plan A, but much less a Plan B, Shiro," Keith said. He cracked one eye open, but Shiro wasn't looking at him. He was instead staring out at the view beyond them. The sun was much higher in the sky now and Keith figured they had probably been gone for much longer than intended, but couldn't bring himself to care much. This was exactly what he had originally planned for the weekend anyways. Besides, Shiro didn't seem to be in a hurry to get back either. 

Neither of them spoke again for a long time. Shiro watched the sun climb higher in the sky and Keith took turns basking in the sun and watching Shiro. If Keith could have bottled a moment, he would have chosen this one over any other he could think of. 

"We need to get back," Shiro finally admitted.

Keith sighed heavily, even though he knew Shiro was right. Shiro's mouth quirked into a small smile and Keith's stomach flipped again at the thought that Shiro might be just as reluctant as he was to share the weekend. They stayed a few minutes more at the outlook point until Shiro gently nudged Keith's shoulder and guided him upright. Shiro's hand lingered on Keith's back for a moment, but when Keith looked askance back at him, Shiro tucked it away and started the descent. 

They didn't talk any further on the way down, but the silence was comfortable and familiar. Keith felt himself unwinding a little more with every breath he could hear Shiro take beside him. 

 

+++++++++++++++++

  
  


"While you were gone, Hunk and I decided on a name for your dog," Lance announced as soon as Keith and Shiro emerged from the trailhead on the edge of their campsite.

"No," Keith said flatly.

"Kosmo," Hunk said, totally disregarding Keith. "With a 'K' to match you."

"I said no," Keith said. He knew it was useless, but he wanted to register his disagreement for the record.

"Well, too bad because we talked to Kosmo all night and he agrees it's a great name," Lance said.

"He's a dog," Keith said. "He thinks anything is a good idea if you give him food while you say it."

"Kosmo! C'mere boy!" Hunk called and the dog, the traitor that he was, immediately trotted over and jumped up onto Hunk, planting his feet on Hunk's thighs and panting excitedly. "See, Keith, he already knows his name! Who's a good boy?"

Keith sighed. Shiro laughed somewhere behind him and Keith shot him an aggrieved look. Shiro smiled crookedly back him.

"I like it," Shiro said. "Makes him sound like a space dog."

Keith sighed again, even louder, but didn't argue it any further and instead headed over to an empty folding chair and flopped down into it. Shiro followed after a short discussion with the rest of the group. He dragged another empty chair over to where Keith was, set apart from the group and watched Hunk and Lance throw sticks for Kosmo.  

"No one is going to take him away from you, you know," Shiro said so softly that the others couldn't possibly eavesdrop on them. Shiro's hand drifted up Keith's back and gently squeezed his shoulder. "Naming him or not naming him won't change that." 

Keith ground his teeth down so hard he felt a twinge of pain in his jaw. They had never explicitly talked about it, but Keith knew that Shiro had noticed Keith’s aversion to more permanent commitments, from his short-term lease to his almost complete lack of furniture to just about everything else that Keith touched and expected to lose at some point. 

"I know," Keith said finally. It was a blatant lie and they both knew it, but Shiro didn't call him on it. Instead, he just squeezed Keith's shoulder one last time before letting him go.

"Okay," Shiro agreed. 

After lunch that afternoon, they found a nearby lake and swam until they were all hungry and sunburnt. Shiro found a ledge to jump off of and Keith and Lance took turns trying to outdo each other on the jump as the others judged and it was only when Hunk insisted on dinner that they finally settled for a tie. Keith felt more relaxed and content than he had in years and when he looked around the small circle of friends around the campfire that night, he was happy they had all forced their way into his weekend plans after all. 

This was better anyways. 

A weekend alone with Shiro probably would have put him in danger of rekindling his old crush on the other man, which would have been a disaster all around. 


	3. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly, this is so sappy, it's probably illegal but i was re-watching the show and got really sad about how much keith loves shiro and W E L P
> 
> (p.s. mary, remember you can't read this until february. U KNO WHAT U DID.)

Keith finished his post-flight reporting late that night and only realized he hadn't looked at his phone in hours when he used its flashlight to lock the door to his office in the hangar. When he did, he saw he had two missed calls from Shiro nearly three hours before. He thumbed his screen open, but found neither text nor voicemail from Shiro, which was strange since Shiro didn't often call in the first place but when he did, he always left a message. Keith hit the call button and held his phone against his shoulder as he wrangled his leather jacket on and walked out to where his bike was parked in the lot. 

No answer. 

He frowned down at his phone and then fired off a quick text to Shiro,  _ everything ok? _

By the time he was home, there was still no answer. There was an ugly, twisting feeling in the pit of Keith's stomach as he called again to no answer from Shiro. 

Kosmo whined at him the moment he walked in the door and Keith went through the motions of feeding and walking him while barely looking up from his phone. He had sent another unanswered text in the meantime and by the end of Kosmo's walk, was feeling almost queasy with dread because he hadn't heard back from Shiro. He thought fleetingly of texting their friends' group text to ask if anyone had talked to him, but Keith knew that Shiro would have texted him by now if he were in any shape to. 

"You up for a ride, bud?" he asked Kosmo quietly. The dog whuffed back at him, his tail wagging excitedly. "You have to be good, no squirming."

Kosmo whuffs again, as if he'd truly understood and Keith ruffled his ears before grabbing his wallet and keys and clipping Kosmo's lead on. Keith had been teaching Kosmo how to ride as a passenger on his bike for a couple weeks now, although they'd never gone far and rarely left the neighborhood blocks where Keith could drive slow and steady to get Kosmo used to sitting still in front of Keith on the wide seat. 

"Okay," Keith said as he got Kosmo situated in front of him. Kosmo was strangely compliant, ears perked forward and alert, as if he knew they were on an important mission and not just a joyride. "You got this, boy."

They got to Shiro's apartment building in record time. Kosmo was a perfect passenger the whole way, with none of the usual squirming. When Keith finally let him down and stowed his helmet, Kosmo was still alert and serious by his side. 

The building that Shiro lived in had a front security door and Keith was just about to ring Shiro’s apartment, when someone walked by him with two bags in hand and Keith took his chance to slip in behind them at the door with Kosmo at his heels. 

The stranger gave Kosmo a wary eye but otherwise didn't comment when Keith dodged around them to start up the stairs. The three flights to Shiro's door were steep and Keith was puffing by the time they had made it up. Kosmo was bright-eyed and excited by the action, but followed Keith into the hallway readily, his nose to the carpeted ground as he inspected the new building. 

It was quiet on Shiro's floor and Keith hesitated outside Shiro's door. It was late - nearly eleven - and there was a real possibility that Keith could be waking Shiro up. Another anxious twist of his stomach decided it for him and Keith knocked on the door firmly. 

No answer.

Keith knocked again, this time louder. 

No answer again. 

Keith took his phone out again and seriously considered calling Allura, who would probably have some ideas on what to do, but before he could gather his thoughts enough to press call, the door to Shiro's apartment finally cracked open.

"Keith?" Shiro asked, his voice scratchy and deep.

"Shiro," Keith exhaled softly.  He hadn't realized just how tense he had been until his entire body relaxed at the sight of his friend. "Fuck. You scared me."

Upon further inspection, Shiro looked as rough as he had sounded. His eyes were bleary and unfocused and he almost seemed to sway in the doorway. Keith stepped forward. Kosmo whined, which seemed to finally grab Shiro's full attention.

"Keith?" he said again. "Did I know you were coming?"

Keith gently pushed his way in and closed the door behind them. Kosmo whined and sniffed at Shiro's feet, following him happily into the living room which was much messier than normal. A small heap of blankets where Shiro had obviously been sleeping was on the ground in front of the couch and the TV was softly playing sports highlights. 

"You called twice," Keith said quietly as Shiro fell back on the couch. It only then occurred to Keith that Shiro had taken his prosthetic off. Shiro was usually careful not to do that around anyone, even Keith. He had even kept it on for their camping trip until after Keith had fallen asleep. The fact that he seemed entirely unconcerned about it now set off even more alarm bells for Keith. 

Kosmo jumped up on the couch next to Shiro and immediately laid his head in Shiro's lap. 

Shiro looked down at the dog in some surprise, but buried his hand in Kosmo's fur, not petting, but holding. 

Keith sat on the other side of Shiro quietly. 

"Okay, Shiro?" he asked. 

Shiro didn't respond beyond a small downward quirk of his mouth that smoothed out so quickly that Keith could almost pretend he hadn't seen it at all. 

"My phone must have died," Shiro said and it took a moment for Keith to make sense of the words. 

"What happened?" 

Shiro's hand tightened in Kosmo's thick fur and Keith watched as Kosmo curled closer to Shiro and reached out his long snout to lick Shiro's exposed knee gently. 

"Sorry," Shiro said. He still wasn't looking at Keith. "I didn't mean to worry you."

Keith reached out without thinking and touched Shiro's leg. Shiro jumped badly at the contact and Keith pulled his hand away as if he had been burned.

"Sorry, I just —"

"No," Shiro said, cutting Keith off. 

He turned away from Kosmo and looked squarely at Keith for the first time since he'd arrived. Shiro held out his hand across his body, twisting his entire frame to Keith, and Keith reached out to take it. Shiro clasped it firmly and then tugged gently to pull Keith closer until he could comfortably rest their tangled hands on his lap. Keith sighed as his shoulder melted against Shiro's side, the absence of his arm making the space strange and open but Keith focused instead on his hand, still held tightly by Shiro. 

Neither said anything for a long while and Keith slid himself more comfortably against Shiro's warm bulk until Shiro leaned his head down and let his steady breath fall on Keith's neck. They had spent plenty of time in each other's space, but this was different and more intimate than it had ever been. 

Keith didn't want to do anything to break the spell of the moment and it seemed like Shiro was of the same mind. 

"I have bad days," Shiro said just as Keith was drifting off, his head pillowed against the back of the couch and Shiro's shoulder. Keith tried not to move, but squeezed Shiro's hand to indicate he was listening. "Days where I can't do anything except think about the war. There's this one dream, in particular. I'm in the cockpit, but I can't reach the controls."

Keith couldn't help the pained noise in his throat at the idea of that. Shiro turned his face into Keith's hair and breathed deeply. 

"Thank you for coming," Shiro said so quietly that his chest barely rumbled with the sound. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Keith looked up from where he had his ear against Shiro's heart and smiled softly. 

"I know," Keith said. 

Kosmo whined and dug his head in underneath their joined hands until he forced them both to let go. Shiro released a small laugh as he scratched top of Kosmo's head. 

"It's late," Keith said. He didn't need to look at his phone to know it had been at least an hour or two since he'd gotten there. He pulled back his hand from where it had fallen on Shiro's thigh and rolled his neck. When he looked back at Shiro for his reaction, Shiro had an expression that Keith wasn't sure he'd ever seen before - soft with a small hint of a tired smile, his eyes dark and bottomless.

"Stay," Shiro said simply. 

Keith froze for a moment and then forced himself to relax. He slowly uncoiled himself until he was sitting back on the couch with his head tilted towards Shiro. When Shiro only shifted closer, Keith exhaled. 

"Okay."

Shiro smiled at him, still tired around the edges, but genuine and sweet. 

"Okay," Shiro echoed. 

When Shiro nudged Kosmo off his lap and nodded towards his bedroom, Keith didn't hesitate or offer to sleep on the couch. Instead he followed Shiro quietly in and shucked his jeans while Shiro did the same, not bothering with any of his nightly ritual before pulling down the light quilt on his bed and getting in. Kosmo jumped up on the bed behind Shiro without waiting for an invitation and Shiro laughed quietly as Keith sat down on the other side of the bed. 

"I can make him sleep on the couch," Keith offered even as Shiro allowed Kosmo to snuggle in closer, scratching his ears obediently. 

"It's fine," Shiro said. He was smiling down at Kosmo in a way that made Keith especially glad that he'd brought the dog with him that night. 

Keith swung his legs up into the bed and pulled the blanket over himself, scooting closer to where Kosmo was now wedged happily between the two of them. He rubbed the dog's belly and laughed.

"He doesn't normally sleep with me," Keith admitted. "Don't let him get too used to this kind of treatment."

Shiro's hand found his on Kosmo's fur and he wound their fingers together. Keith squeezed back and sighed softly into his pillow as the warmth of Shiro’s bed enveloped him in drowsy comfort. 

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  


Keith woke sometime in the early morning to Shiro's thumb softly tracing the line of his chin. Shiro was sitting up on the side of the bed, prosthetic arm already in place and running clothes on. He seemed surprised to see Keith open his eyes even as he allowed his thumb to brush against Keith's bottom lip.

"Hey," Keith whispered. 

"Hey," Shiro returned. "I'm going for a run with Kosmo."

"Mmf," Keith replied. His eyes were still heavy with sleep and he could barely hold them open as Shiro kept touching his face so softly. "Good luck with that."

Shiro laughed and Keith's eyes slid closed. The soft, dry press of Shiro's lips against his forehead almost felt like a dream. 

Keith slipped in and out of sleep for a long stretch of time, but finally convinced himself to get out of bed. He found a full pot of coffee waiting for him in the kitchen and he sat down on the couch with his mug, scrolling through his phone while he waited for Shiro and Kosmo to return. 

When they did finally tumble through the front door, Shiro's expression was bright and relaxed and a welcome relief to Keith after the night before. Kosmo immediately dove for where Keith was perched on the couch and Keith laughed as he unclipped the leash that had dragged Shiro behind Kosmo into the room. 

"I'm gonna shower real quick," Shiro said and then with an uncharacteristic shyness, he stopped and looked at Keith. "I…um, I mean, did you need to go or can you stay? I thought we could get breakfast."

"I can stay," Keith confirmed. "No flights on Fridays." 

Shiro seemed to relax and then with a nervous head scratch, he nodded and gestured to the shower. 

"Then, I'll just…yeah," Shiro said. 

Keith watched him go and then buried his face in Kosmo's fur with a short, eruptive laugh. There was a giddiness fizzing through him that he had never felt before. 

Shiro emerged from his shower, freshly dressed and toweling his hair. 

"There's a café around the corner that has great omelettes," Shiro said. He leaned in the door jamb of the bedroom as he finished drying his hair and threw the towel into his laundry bin before ruffling his hair with a sigh. "They don't have a patio for dogs, so we'd have to leave Kosmo behind."

Kosmo jumped off the couch and made his way over to Shiro at the sound of his name. Shiro bent over to pet him and smiled over the top of his head at Keith. Keith's stomach flipped. 

"If you're okay with him alone in your apartment, I am," Keith said with what he hoped was a casual shrug. 

Shiro laughed as Kosmo licked his face and then gently guided Kosmo into the spare room that served as an office, closing the door firmly behind the dog. Kosmo whined from the other side of the door for a moment but then there was the distinct sound of him knocking something over.

"Hopefully I wore him out enough with our run that he won't have the energy to do much," Shiro said. 

"Hopefully," Keith echoed doubtfully. 

The café that Shiro and Keith walked to was more of a diner than anything. The tables were a light blue formica and the waitress brought by two coffee mugs without even waiting for their orders. The menu barely took up two pages and Shiro barely glanced at it even as Keith took his time to peruse it properly. 

Once they'd put in their orders, a comfortable silence fell between them, neither of them seeming in any hurry to talk about the shift between them, but when Keith looked up to catch Shiro watching him, the other man smiled back at him as if they were sharing a secret. 

They both took their time eating their meal and drinking coffee and nearly an hour had passed by the time Shiro laid down two bills for the waitress and led the way out of the restaurant. Once they were out on the sidewalk, Shiro's knuckles brushed against Keith's twice before Shiro took his hand and wove their fingers together, letting them swing between them. Keith looked down at where they were joined and knew he was blushing, but didn't even try to hide it. 

Shiro didn't let go of his hand until they reached his building and he had to dig his keys out of his pocket.They took the elevator up to his floor and as they exited the elevator, Shiro's hand hovered on Keith's back for a moment before settling there more firmly when Keith didn't pull away. Keith stepped closer to Shiro instinctively as Shiro unlocked his front door and Shiro's fingers curled into his side, warm even through Keith's t-shirt. 

They stepped inside to sound of Kosmo barking and Keith was just moving down the hallway after taking his shoes off at the door when Shiro tugged him back and suddenly he was facing Shiro, his back up against the wall. Shiro's flesh hand came up to cup Keith's chin and stroke there softly, just as he had done that morning. Keith watched him, unsure what to do with his hands as Shiro slowly swayed closer until his lips were barely a whisper away from Keith's. 

Instead of kissing him outright, Shiro's lips dragged along Keith's cheek until they reached the soft skin behind the hinge of Keith's jaw and Keith inhaled shakily. One of Keith's hands floated up to Shiro's elbow and Shiro allowed himself to be drawn in closer until there was no room left between the two of them and no chance to miss either of their growing erections as their hips moved together, finding friction. 

"Shiro, this isn't…casual for me," Keith said, his voice desperate and small. 

He was breathing heavy. 

His heart was racing. 

He had no idea what he was feeling except desperate. 

Shiro didn't pull away. 

His lips lingered on Keith's pulse point for a long moment before he tilted his head back and looked down at Keith. His eyes were dark with a sincerity that made all of Keith's remaining defenses melt. 

"I never intended it to be," Shiro said. "I think I've known for a while that if we did this, it wouldn't be casual."

One of Keith's hands curled around Shiro's neck with more purpose than before and Shiro kissed both of Keith's cheeks, then lightly ghosted his lips up to his forehead before pressing even closer to Keith. Keith's heart was working overtime, flipping painfully in his chest as his eyes slid closed as Shiro's lips pressed gently to his nose and then again to his other cheek.

It was maddening.

"Keith," Shiro murmured, his voice soft and deep. 

Keith, finally losing control of his patience, pulled Shiro down with both hands for a forceful, bruising kiss and Shiro responded hungrily. Shiro's hands that had been holding him so gently in place suddenly came up to grab at Keith's sides and tug his shirt up roughly. 

Keith gasped at the feeling of the prosthetic fingers curling against his skin, cool and smooth and so different from the tactile skin of Shiro’s other hand. Shiro seemed to understand immediately and pulled back in a rush. 

"I'm sorry," Shiro said. "I can —"

"Shiro," Keith interrupted, tugging Shiro back and kissing his mouth before grabbing his prosthetic hand and forcefully putting it back under his shirt. "Takashi. It doesn't matter. Keep going."

Shiro kissed him with even more force than before. 

Keith scrabbled against him as Shiro finally managed to pull Keith's shirt over his head. Shiro dipped down to kiss along Keith's collarbone, but Keith dragged him back up for more of his mouth. 

"Bedroom," Keith groaned after another minute of grinding against Shiro. 

Shiro grunted in apparent agreement and then lifted his own shirt over his head and threw it behind them. They got lost in more kisses and touches before Keith finally started pushing them down the hallway to Shiro's bedroom. Shiro went willingly enough, but never stopped kissing Keith, even as they tripped over their own feet and laughed at their own stumbling. 

Dimly, Keith was aware of Kosmo barking and whining from the guest bedroom, but then Shiro kicked the bedroom door behind them and the sound was muffled. 

Keith fell backwards on the still rumpled bed and Shiro climbed on top of him without hesitation, his mouth finding Keith's immediately and his hips pressing him down into the mattress. Keith was overwhelmed by the heat. His skin was flushed and his dick already aching in his too-tight jeans. He shifted under Shiro and groaned when his dick brushed against Shiro's hips. 

Shiro let more of his weight press down into Keith and Keith groaned as he felt their still-clothed dicks brush against each other again, even through the layers of fabric. Shiro’s hand played with the waistband of Keith’s jeans and Keith threw his head back against the pillows when Shiro ran his palm down Keith’s crotch and rubbed his dick through the rough fabric of his jeans.

"Fuck," he whispered. 

"We don't have to do —" Shiro started, his voice labored.

"Shut up," Keith groaned. 

Shiro laughed into Keith's skin, but didn't argue. Instead, he popped the button on Keith's jeans and sat back on his heels to shimmy them off Keith's hips, taking his boxers with them, apparently in no mood for slowly peeling their layers off. Keith couldn't agree more. Once he had Keith's jeans off, Shiro stood and quickly shed his own, rejoining Keith and pressing him down again, this time their bodies naked and hot against each other. 

Keith couldn't help the small gasp. 

"What do you want?" Shiro asked. His hips were rocking slowly against Keith's incredibly sensitive cock and honestly, Keith could probably get off from just the sensation of Shiro's grinding against him. It took him a long time to gather his thoughts enough to answer beyond his own fingers pressing into either side of Shiro's hips, kneading the skin there. Keith licked his lips and tried to speak twice before he could finally croak out an answer. 

"Anything," he said. "God, anything, Shiro."

Shiro kissed him roughly, both of his hands tugging at Keith's hair. When Shiro suddenly pulled away, Keith made an embarrassing, needy sound that was quickly replaced with a choked off moan when Shiro shifted down his body and gave Keith's dick a long, slow lick before laving the tip more fully with his mouth and sucking it in. 

Keith grabbed onto Shiro's forelock of white-gray hair instinctually as his entire body lit up like a live wire. He tried to keep his eyes open, but the hot, wet suck of Shiro's mouth was overwhelming and consuming. He could barely help the things coming out of his mouth, much less keep his eyes focused as Shiro found a rhythm that alternated between long slow strokes and sucking that had Keith tipping over the edge sooner than he would have liked. 

He choked out a warning to Shiro, who took a mouthful even with the warning, swallowing it with a lick of his lips that made the edges of Keith’s vision nearly white out. The rest of Keith’s cum splattered across Keith's stomach as Shiro pumped him through it with one hand and a kiss to the tip of his cock when he was finished. 

Keith collapsed into the bed afterward, breathing heavily and running both hands down his face with a groan. His entire body felt boneless as he looked up at where Shiro was poised above him, sitting on his knees at Keith's waist. He raised a hand to run across the curve of Shiro's ass and Shiro smiled before finally leaning down kissing Keith. His mouth was salty with cum and Keith groaned as the taste hit his own tongue. 

Shiro's hands were still roaming up and down Keith's sides and Keith was so distracted by them in his post-orgasm haze that he almost jumped when Shiro's still-hard dick slid across his stomach. Shiro's thick fingers wiped some of Keith's cum from his stomach and onto his dick, easing the slide of skin against sensitive skin.

"Fuck, Shiro," Keith said softly. He grabbed onto Shiro's ass with one hand, pulling him against him as tight as he could as Shiro slowly ground his hips into Keith's sweat-slicked skin. 

“Okay?” Shiro murmured, his head buried in the crook of Keith’s neck. 

“Fuck, yes, obviously,” Keith barely managed. He had just come, but his dick was already twitching with interest as Shiro’s pace picked up, his dick sliding across Keith’s stomach, making even more of a mess than before.

"Keith," Shiro whispered lowly. His mouth was pressed against Keith's ear so closely that his breath tickled as he spoke. Keith turned his head to try to catch a kiss and Shiro allowed it before pulling away again, his expression somewhere between strained and blissful as he continued his tortuous grind against Keith. "I've dreamed about you like this."

"Yeah?" Keith breathed. He was urging Shiro's pace faster with his grip on Shiro's hip and Shiro was nearly panting as he neared climax. 

"So many times," Shiro whispered. 

"God, Takashi," Keith said. "You have to know how much I did too. I've loved you for so long."

Shiro shuddered against him with a groan and Keith felt his warm release pool onto Keith's stomach, mixing in with his own. Keith dug his fingers deeper into Shiro's ass as Shiro rode out the orgasm with a few more thrusts against Keith. 

Shiro fell down to his forearms again, breathing heavily, his open mouth pressed against Keith's sweaty neck and one hand threaded in Keith's hair. 

They breathed together in silence as they both waited for their heart rates to calm. 

Shiro's fingers eventually began to run through Keith's hair, gently combing it away from his face before he leaned over and lightly kissed Keith's lips, barely a whisper. Keith raised up to meet him, but all of the bruising eagerness from earlier had melted away into soft, languid kisses. 

"I never thought I could have this," Shiro said.

Keith sat up a little further so he could reach Shiro’s mouth more easily and kissed him again, their mouths fluttering together and apart several times.

“You can,” Keith said finally. “You can have this.”

Shiro rolled to the side of the bed and off Keith, but pulled him close, paying no mind to the sticky mess of sweat and cum on Keith’s skin. 

“You said a while back that you were in love with me when we were kids,” Shiro said and when Keith made a face, he smiled and traced Keith’s mouth with his thumb before kissing Keith. “It made me think. I guess I realized that even though I’d never thought about it that way, I’ve been in love with you for a long time too. I just didn’t know it was an option.”

"Takashi," Keith whispered, overwhelmed as his fingers traced the scars on Shiro's right side. 

"It's been a long time since someone called me that," Shiro said softly. "I like it."

"Takashi," Keith repeated with a smile and then leaned down to kiss Shiro's shoulder and along his collarbone. Shiro's fingers threaded through Keith's hair, gently petting as Keith slowly kissed his way down Shiro's chest. “I love you. Still. Not just then, but now.”

“I know,” Shiro said. “I never doubted that.”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  


Shiro didn't mention telling the group before their game on Sunday night and their arrival together didn't raise any eyebrows, since even though Keith felt like everything had changed in the span of two days, it was entirely normal for them to show up together. Shiro snuck a kiss before getting out of the car and Keith allowed himself a small, satisfied smile before ducking out the other side of the car and grabbing his bag. 

They hadn't yet found a compelling reason to be apart since that first night together. Shiro had trailed Keith home, Kosmo riding shotgun in his car, as Keith threaded through traffic on his bike and then hadn't left even when it became obvious that Shiro's apartment was the more comfortable of the two as they had settled down for Saturday night. 

"What are we telling them?" Keith finally asked as he shouldered his bag and squinted towards the playing field. He could see Hunk carrying a large cooler in the distance and Lance and Allura arguing off to the side. Shiro stood next to them and looked out to where the team was.

"What do you want to tell them?" Shiro asked, an effortless deflection. 

Keith gave him a sideways look to tell him that he knew Shiro was dodging the question and Shiro smiled cheekily back. Keith sighed loudly and played with the strap of his bag, but didn't make any move to actually walk towards the field. 

"What if we don't say anything?" he asked and then, when Shiro's teasing smile fell a little, he backtracked. "I mean — not  _ hide _ it - just you know, don't make some weird, awkward announcement. They can figure it if they want."

Shiro's face had relaxed somewhat when Keith finally convinced himself to meet his eyes again. Shiro pursed his lips for a moment and then smiled softly, holding out his free hand for Keith. 

"We can do that," Shiro confirmed. 

Keith took his hand and squeezed. 

They were halfway to the field when Allura joined them. Keith saw her eyebrows raise when she noticed their joined hands but aside from a knowing smile, she didn't say anything and chattered about the game with Shiro. When they reached the field, the rest of the team had mostly assembled and were just waiting for the game ahead of theirs to wrap up. This was the final weekend of games and whoever won the game ahead of theirs would be playing for first in the league, while their team would be playing the losers for third. It was farther than Keith had ever seen the Lions get in the league they played in and he could tell the rest of the team felt good about it. 

Hunk took one look at them approaching, hand in hand, and said, "Huh," before turning back to the cooler and taking a long sip of his Gatorade. 

Pidge squeaked a bit and looked like she was about to say something about them, but then Hunk not-so-subtly elbowed her and she swallowed whatever it was that she had in mind. Her eyes were bright and mischievous as they kept darting back to Shiro and Keith until a pointed sigh from Keith sent her scrambling away with raised hands. 

Shiro muffled a laugh against his own shoulder and squeezed Keith's hand before finally letting go. 

Keith looked over to him and Shiro nodded to the field which was finally clearing out.

"Want to take a few laps with me?" Shiro asked. 

Keith jerked his head in the semblance of a nod and dropped his bag in the pile with the others, digging his cleats out and pulling them on while Shiro did the same. 

Shiro set a steady pace, keeping Keith's tendency to sprint ahead in check by reminding him that they were warming up and not racing. By the time they had completed two laps around the field, the others had started on some casual footdrills and any of the weird energy that had been there when Shiro and Keith first arrived seemed to have dissipated as they fell into passing and agility drills to get ready for the game. 

"Alright, team," Allura finally said, motioning them to huddle up. "We've got the advantage going in because we're rested and they aren't. Keep your heads up and talk to each other. And Keith?"

Keith looked up in surprise from where he had been studying the turf beneath him.

"No cards this time, yeah?" Allura asked.

Keith let out a breathy laugh of surprise and shrugged.

"No promises."

The game was ugly from almost the first minute with Pidge taking a nasty elbow to the nose from one of the other teams' huge midfielders. Shiro pulled Hunk away before he could leave his net and pick a fight, but the game was tense after that with almost every stoppage in play an opportunity for a little extra shoving. In the end, the Lions fell 2-1, but it was a close fight until the end. 

After the game, they cleared out to a bar up the street from the soccer fields and crowded into a table in the far corner with other small factions from the Lions spread throughout the bar. Shiro, still smelling of sweat and hard work, practically plastered himself to Keith's side, but Keith didn't mind at all. Shiro had scored the Lions' one and only goal of the day and was clearly riding a high on it even though they had lost in the end. Keith leaned a little closer to him and Shiro practically nuzzled into his hair. 

"What's up with you two?" Lance asked, looking suspicious as he set down several full mugs of beer on the table. Behind him, Hunk appeared with the rest of the mugs for the group and they were all distributed as they negotiated seats. 

"What do you mean?" Shiro asked neutrally. 

Keith kicked him under the table and Shiro kicked back. 

"You're just…I don't know, being weird," Lance said. He was squinting at both of them and then so slowly that Keith could almost see the quarter drop, Lance's eyes focused in on Shiro's hand covering Keith's. Lance gasped theatrically and pointed to their joined hands, waving frantically to the rest of the group who all seemed to exchange one instantaneous eyeroll.

"No, no, no," Lance said, still waving his hands in the air. "This cannot happen again. We already lost Lotor to team romance - don't make us relive history."

Keith shot a quick, surprised glance to Allura who looked mortified across the table. 

"Lance, dude, they've been dating for like two months," Hunk broke in and Keith suddenly swivelled to Hunk in disbelief. "I think they'll be fine."

Before Keith could correct him, Pidge added, "Yeah, honestly we're just glad that you guys finally feel comfortable enough telling us. Well, not  _ telling  _ us, per se, but you know."

Keith sputtered. Shiro was shaking with laughter next to him and Keith scowled at everyone at the table.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. "We just started…our — we —"

The word 'dating' felt wrong in Keith's mouth, mostly because it seemed too simplistic for the connection they had. As if sensing his dilemma, Shiro patted him sympathetically on his thigh and let his hand linger there after, casual as anything. Keith took a long gulp of his beer just for something else to do with his mouth than gape at his friends or worse. 

Shiro and he hadn't exactly gotten around to defining their relationship over the long weekend, but Keith was pretty sure Shiro would feel the same way when they did get around to defining whatever they were. 

Keith was so lost down the rabbithole that when Shiro squeezed his thigh again, the entire table had nearly finished their first round and Hunk was taking orders for the second. Shiro leaned close enough that Keith smelled a wave of his aftershave and deodorant. 

"Want to get out here?" Shiro asked, only for Keith. 

Keith nodded. Apparently he was all out of words for the day.

Shiro handled their goodbyes and the protests of their friends and was gently guiding Keith out of the bar in no time flat. As soon as they reached his sleek silver car, Shiro pushed Keith up against it and kissed him deeply. 

"What was that for?" Keith asked, breathless. 

Shiro stole another kiss before answering.

"Felt like it," he said with a smirk before tapping Keith lightly on the side and nudging him to the side so he could open the car door. Keith let out a startled laugh and shoved Shiro back before taking the hint and walking around to the other side of the car to get in. Shiro grabbed his hand and threaded their fingers together as soon as he pulled out on the main road.

"You're gonna be ridiculous sappy about this, aren't you?" Keith asked.

"So sappy," Shiro confirmed, not taking his eyes off the road, but the smirk from earlier was back. "That okay with you?"

Keith sighed long-sufferingly, but then dropped a kiss on Shiro's knuckles.

"I guess I'll get used to it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! i would so love to hear your thoughts as this is my first voltron fic. i imagine i will probably write something post s8 depending on the depths of despair/joy/things in need of fixing.
> 
> i have a pillowfort! pillowfort.io/neversleepingagain

**Author's Note:**

> i no longer have a fandom tumblr, so if you enjoyed please share a link or rec on yours if you would be so kind.
> 
> also, let me know what you think in the comments! i love hearing from readers, especially since this fandom is new to me! <3
> 
> don't forget to subscribe to the story to catch the next few parts!


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